The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2015, and October 31, 2016 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2016 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on November 3, 2016, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

A city manager strives to demonstrate the nobility of his bureaucratic
position as he investigates the environmental costs of a development project.

In this long, informative debut novel, Thompson tells the story of Brad
Jacks, the city manager of Santa Ynez, a small town in southern California.
Brad finds his 30-year career coming to a crucial moment as he stewards the
divisive “active adult community” Green Valley Village through development.
Pro-business community members work to hastily greenlight the project to bring
an economic boost to the town, while liberal advocates desperately point to the
venture’s environmental detriments. Brad must resolve these conflicts on two
battlegrounds. Within his own team, he mediates between young and idealistic
Planning Director Megan Cain and data-driven, development-friendly Public Works
Director Dipak “Dee” Sharma. In Santa Ynez, ex-hippie Councilwoman Kay Nance
and the Nettler family of ranchers represent broader clashes between liberals
and conservatives in a small town. Together, these skirmishes reflect the
breadth of the impact of local city planning issues; Brad’s struggle to resolve
the Green Valley Village conundrum convincingly portrays the challenges and
importance of effective city management. In addition to Brad’s immediate trials,
however, Thompson tells a second, more intriguing story: the history of water
management in California. Over the course of the book, Brad learns—from his
in-laws in rural California, a senior citizen who survived the St. Francis dam
failure, environmentalists—that water, the state’s most important resource, has
been manipulated by large contractors for decades, leaving naturally lush areas
dry. Readers can learn along with Brad that “where water is concerned, it’s
always about money and power.” Passages about the history of water and city
management in California can leave this novel feeling a bit like a work of
nonfiction at times (acronyms and initialisms like IS, BDCP, and EIR abound),
but it’s absorbing nonfiction nonetheless. Those fascinated by the quiet
heroism of bureaucrats should be naturally drawn to Brad; anyone interested in
the history of California’s development will likely learn a great deal as
well.

An engrossing, in-depth look at the challenges of city planning in
California through the eyes of a public servant.

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